The Team

Ahmed Demerdash Badrawi

Executive Vice Chairman

Ahmed Demerdash Badrawi is the Chief Executive Officer of MARAKEZ, the Egyptian arm of Saudi Arabian conglomerate Fawaz Alhokair Group, the largest mall developer and operator in Saudi Arabia and one of the largest foreign investors in the Egyptian market.

Owner and operator of the super-regional “Mall of Arabia” in West Cairo, MARAKEZ is focused on developing, building and operating multiple malls across Egypt. During the course of 2016, MARAKEZ acquired three new sites for its mall business, including the New Administrative Capital and the secondary city of Delta of Tanta.

The Company has also recently expanded its portfolio in Egypt, launching its first residential project- AEON Courtyards and Towers West Cairo. Marakez activities extends to other sectors such as renewable energy, F&B, entertainment activities and fashion retail stores.

Mr. Badrawi joined the Group in October 2015 to lead the new phase of the Group’s development and expansion in Egypt. He is responsible for overseeing all operations and the implementation of the company’s business strategy to expand Al Hokair’s presence in the Egyptian market.

Mr. Badrawi is also a board member of the Saudi business- Arabian Centres. He has over 15 years of experience in the real estate sector, most recently as CEO of SODIC- one of Egypt’s largest mixed-use real estate companies.

Prior to his time at SODIC, Mr. Badrawi established Egypt’s first records management business in 2000, InfoFort Egypt LLC, and successfully exited to Aramex in 2005. Before moving to Egypt, he began his career as a practising Solicitor with Clifford Chance in London and Dubai.

Mr. Badrawi graduated with a law degree from Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London and passed the Law Society Solicitors' Finals in The College of Law, Guildford. He is also a Harvard Business School Alumnus having completed the Senior Executive Program for the Middle East in 2003.

Basil Ramzy

Chief Executive Officer

Basil Ramzy is the Chief Operating Officer of MARAKEZ, the Egyptian arm of Saudi Arabian conglomerate Fawaz Alhokair Group, the largest mall developer in Saudi Arabia.

Owner and operator of Mall of Arabia in west Cairo, MARAKEZ is focused on developing, building and operating multiple malls across Egypt in addition to its real estate development activities. MARAKEZ has a growing portfolio of projects across different sectors as the company is expanding into residential, renewable energy, F&B, entertainment activities and fashion retail.

Mr. Ramzy joined MARAKEZ in August 2015, and was appointed by Fawaz Alhokair Group to lead their new phase of development and expansion in Egypt as a key member of the board.

Prior to MARAKEZ, Mr. Ramzy served as the Chief Development Officer and a member of the board of SODIC, one of Egypt’s largest publicly listed development companies, tasked with bringing profitable, market-relevant, SODIC standard developments to market. Mr. Ramzy joined SODIC's development team in 2010 and played an instrumental role in creating and formalizing SODIC's development process. He also expanded SODIC's residential product range to include a wider variety of price-points and multi-family housing options.

Before joining SODIC, Mr. Ramzy served as a Managing Partner of Delta Enterprises and was the Co-Founder of Sarmady Communications (purchased by Vodafone Egypt), serving as its Chief Executive Officer.

He holds a Master's degree in Building Construction and Facility Management from the Georgia Institute of Technology and Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University.

Ashraf Farid

Chief Business Development Officer

Ashraf Farid is Marakez Chief Business Development Officer, the Egyptian arm of Saudi Arabian conglomerate Fawaz Alhokair Group, the largest mall developer in Saudi Arabia and the ME.

Owner and operator of Mall of Arabia in West Cairo, MARAKEZ is focused on developing and operating multiple malls across Egypt in addition to its real estate development activities. MARAKEZ has a growing portfolio of projects across different sectors as the company is expanding into residential, renewable energy, F&B, entertainment activities and fashion retail.

Mr. Farid joined MARAKEZ in October 2015 and is responsible for leading the company’s new phase of developments and expansion in Egypt. In his capacity, he will primarily focus on new business opportunities, the company’s commercial and legal functions and public relations activities. Mr. Farid is a board member of four of MARAKEZ subsidiaries and one of the official spokespeople for MARAKEZ in Egypt.

Prior to joining MARAKEZ, Mr. Farid was SODIC’s Chief Business Development Officer for nine years where he mastered sales operations, business development, legal affairs, land acquisition and public relations. In addition, Mr. Farid was SODIC’s board secretary and a board member of three of SODIC’s subsidiaries.

Mr. Farid also honed his extensive sales operations and business development experience working for Allianz Group where he assisted in establishing their first Life Agency in Egypt. He also worked with Al-Futtaim Group as their Business Development Manager, responsible for one of the Group’s business portfolios.

Mr. Farid holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Financial Management from Cairo University, an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute in London (ACII) - the United Kingdom and is a certified sales trainer.

Hesham Shoukry

Chief HR & Administration Officer

Hesham Shoukry is the Chief Human Resources and Administration Officer of MARAKEZ, the Egyptian arm of Saudi Arabian conglomerate Fawaz Alhokeir Group, the largest mall developer in Saudi Arabia.

Owner and operator of Mall of Arabia in west Cairo, MARAKEZ is focused on developing, building and operating multiple malls across Egypt in addition to its real estate development activities. MARAKEZ has a growing portfolio of projects across different sectors as the company is expanding into residential, renewable energy, F&B, entertainment activities and fashion retail.

Mr. Shoukry joined MARAKEZ in January 2016. In that capacity, he is responsible for developing the structure of the company and creating a human resources platform.

Mr. Shoukry was SODIC’s Chief Human Resources and Administration Officer before joining MARAKEZ. Prior to his time at SODIC, he was Chief Human Resources and Administration Officer at Vimpelcom-owned Global Telecom Holding - formerly Orascom Telecom Holding. Mr. Shoukry also held the position of Head of HR for Business Unit Asia and Africa at Vimpelcom and a member of the Leadership team. With over 17 years of HR and management experience, he successfully led the delivery of strategic and operational human resources services across the Asia & Africa Business Unit.

Mr. Shoukry began his career by joining KPMG in 1999 and moved to the Telecom sector in 2001 with Ericsson Egypt. He holds an Accounting degree from Cairo University, an MBA from the Arab Academy of Science & Technology and a Diploma in Human Resources from the American University in Cairo.

Ismail Seoudi

Chief Land Officer

Ismail Seoudi is the Chief Land Officer of MARAKEZ, the Egyptian arm of Saudi Arabian conglomerate Fawaz Alhokair Group, the largest mall developer in Saudi Arabia.

Owner and operator of Mall of Arabia in west Cairo, MARAKEZ is focused on developing, building and operating multiple malls across Egypt in addition to its real estate development activities. MARAKEZ has a growing portfolio of projects across different sectors as the company is expanding into residential, renewable energy, F&B, entertainment activities and fashion retail.

Mr. Seoudi joined MARAKEZ in October 2015 and is responsible for land acquisitions and government relations.

Before joining MARAKEZ, Mr. Seoudi was SODIC’s Chief Government Relations Officer, a position he held since May 2010. In that capacity, Mr. Seoudi played a vital business development role, contributed to the growth of SODIC’s land bank and identified potential business opportunities.

Prior to joining SODIC, Mr. Seoudi held the position of Chairman at North Africa for Trading & Industry Company (NAMCO) for nearly 20 years. Prior to that, he held the position of Export Manager at Nissan & Suzuki Co. Over the years, Mr. Seoudi has served as board member of several companies including Modern Motors Co., Suzuki Trading Co, Tegara for Commercial Centres and Al Mansouria Co. He also serves as a member of the board for Picorp Holding and Multi Market Co.

Mohamed Badr

Chief Technical Officer

Mohamed Badr is the Chief Technical Officer of MARAKEZ, the Egyptian arm of Saudi Arabian conglomerate Fawaz Alhokeir Group, the largest mall developer in Saudi Arabia.

Owner and operator of Mall of Arabia in west Cairo, MARAKEZ is focused on developing, building and operating multiple malls across Egypt in addition to its real estate development activities. MARAKEZ has a growing portfolio of projects across different sectors as the company is expanding into residential, renewable energy, F&B, entertainment activities and fashion retail.

Mr. Badr joined MARAKEZ in August 2015, and is responsible for the entire design and construction platform of the company.

Prior to joining MARAKEZ, he was SODIC’s Projects Executive Director for five years. Before joining SODIC, he served as the Project Director at Hill International for five years and spent 14 years in ABB SUSA before that.

Mr. Badr has over 24 years of experience in the management of mega, international projects and developments. His career spans all engineering-design, project management, quality control, procurement and contract administration aspects with expertise in both American and European standards.

He has played a vital role in a wide variety of projects including residential and office towers, residential developments, hotels, airports, administration buildings, air bases, power plants, water treatment plants, wastewater treatment plants, government office buildings, shopping centers, highways and pipelines. Some of his master projects include Palm Jumeirah, the American Embassy in Angola and USAID HQ in Cairo.

Mr. Badr graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering from Ain Shams University, in Cairo and holds post graduate certifications from American Concrete Institute & US Green Buildings Association.

Shokry Bidair

Chief Financial Officer

Shokry Bidair is the Chief Financial Officer of MARAKEZ, the Egyptian arm of Saudi Arabian conglomerate Fawaz Alhokair Group, the largest mall developer in Saudi Arabia.

MARAKEZ is focused on developing, building and operating multiple malls across Egypt in addition to its real estate development activities. MARAKEZ has a growing portfolio of projects across different sectors as the company is expanding into residential, renewable energy, F&B, entertainment activities and fashion retail.

Mr. Bidair brings more than 16 years of experience in the financial services sector with significant roles in both commercial and investment banks. He started his career at CIB back in 2000 where he spent eight years and held various positions in Corporate Banking as well as the bank’s Private Equity business.

Prior to joining Marakez, Mr. Bidair was the Deputy General Manager, Corporate Banking at Ahli United Bank (Egypt) where he managed a loan-portfolio of EGP 2.5 billion across various sectors. Before his tenure at Ahli United Bank, he was the Investment Banking Director at Beltone Financial. He also served as the Investment Principal at Sphinx Egypt, a subsidiary of Citadel Capital.

Mr. Bidair holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the American University in Cairo.

Ashraf Maklad

Executive Marketing Director

Ashraf Maklad is the Executive Marketing Director of MARAKEZ; the Egyptian arm of Saudi Arabian conglomerate Fawaz Alhokair Group, the largest mall developer in Saudi Arabia.

Owner and operator of Mall of Arabia in west Cairo, MARAKEZ is focused on developing, building and operating multiple malls across Egypt in addition to its real estate development activities. MARAKEZ has a growing portfolio of projects across different sectors as the company is expanding into residential, renewable energy, F&B, entertainment activities and fashion retail.

Mr. Maklad joined the Group in August 2015 and is responsible for developing and implementing the company’s marketing strategy as well as creating customer relations programs to contribute to raising brand awareness.

Mr. Ashraf brings 10 years of marketing experience to his current position. Before joining MARAKEZ, Ashraf was the Strategy and Innovation Consultant for Vodafone. He joined Vodafone in 2008 and held various positions within the commercial team including Commercial Director of Sarmady following Vodafone’s acquisition of the company in 2009 and Founder and Director of Kotobi, Vodafone’s Arabic e-book platform.

In addition to his experience in the IT field with Vodafone, Mr. Ashraf worked in several industries, including retail with Carrefour (Majid Al Futtaim) in Egypt and Kuwait, and hospitality with Accor Hotels in the United Arab Emirates.

Mr. Ashraf has a BSc in Computer Science from City University in Seattle Washington.

Ayman Beiram

IT Director

Ayman Beiram is the IT Director of MARAKEZ, the Egyptian arm of Saudi Arabian conglomerate FAWAZ AL HOKAIR GROUP, the largest mall developer in Saudi Arabia.

Owner and operator of Mall of Arabia in west Cairo, MARAKEZ is focused on developing, building and operating multiple malls across Egypt in addition to its real estate development activities. MARAKEZ has a growing portfolio of projects across different sectors as the company is expanding into residential, renewable energy, F&B, entertainment activities and fashion retail.

Mr. Beiram joined MARAKEZ in November 2015 to set-up and implement the information technology roadmap of the company.

Mr. Beiram enjoys fifteen years of experience and achievements in one of the leading telecommunication multinational companies, Vodafone, within Information Technology, People Management, Project Management, Budget Management and Vendor management fields. He also had international experience in the field being responsible for the UK account.

Mr. Beiram holds a master’s degree in business administration (MBA) from ESLSCA business school. He was recognized by Vodafone for his role in enhancing the IT environment at retail outlets and was named one of the best managers.

Omar Ozalp

Executive Sales Director

Omar Ozalp is the Executive Director of Sales at MARAKEZ; the Egyptian arm of Saudi Arabian conglomerate Fawaz Alhokair Group, the largest mall developer in Saudi Arabia.

Owner and operator of Mall of Arabia in west Cairo, MARAKEZ is focused on developing, building and operating multiple malls across Egypt in addition to its real estate development activities. MARAKEZ has a growing portfolio of projects across different sectors as the company is expanding into residential, renewable energy, F&B, entertainment activities and fashion retail.

Mr. Ozalp joined the Group in December 2016. He is responsible for developing and executing the company’s strategic plan to achieve sales targets and expand customer base.

Mr. Ozalp has more than 15 years of experience in Marketing and Business Development. Prior to joining MARAKEZ, he was Head of Collection at Palm Hills Developments, where he was managing a total debt portfolio of EGP 1.3 billion across 18 projects. During his tenure with Palm Hills, Mr. Ozalp successfully achieved the collection of over EGP 1.8 billion over a period of 3 years.

Mr. Ozalp began his career at U5 Mideast where he participated in the direct delivery and communication of presentations to clients, including a proposal to the Egyptian Government for bringing Formula 1 to Egypt. He also served as the Sales Manager & Marketing Consultant for SODIC & Bonyan and a member of the sales team that sold more than 600 villas in just one month. Before his tenure at SODIC & Bonyan, he was Brand Manager at British American Tobacco, where he managed all brand activity, across four brands ranging from advertising campaigns to POS material.

Mr. Ozalp holds a Bachelor’s degree in Integrated Marketing & Communications from the American University in Cairo.

Nasser Gomaa

Legal Director

Nasser Gomaa is the Legal Director of MARAKEZ, the Egyptian arm of Saudi Arabian conglomerate Fawaz Alhokair Group, the largest mall developer in Saudi Arabia.

MARAKEZ is focused on developing, building and operating multiple malls across Egypt in addition to its real estate development activities. MARAKEZ has a growing portfolio of projects across different sectors as the company is expanding into residential, renewable energy, F&B, entertainment activities and fashion retail.

Mr. Gomaa joined MARAKEZ in March 2017 and is responsible for overseeing the overall legal aspects of the company and ensure all legal matters are in line with the company’s guidelines.

Mr. Gomaa brings more than 27 years of experience in the legal field and is renowned law practitioner. Prior to joining MARAKEZ, he was the Senior Legal Manager for the Commercial Department at SODIC. During his time at SODIC, he held a track record of outstanding performance and successful achievement of all legal matters assigned to him during his 17 years with the company. Before his tenure at SODIC, he ran a private legal office from 1989 to 1999.

Mr. Gomaa holds a Law Degree from Azhar University and a diploma in Forensic Science from Cairo University. He is also a registered member in the syndicate of lawyers.

Mahmoud Fahmi

Managing Director of Food and Entertainment

Mahmoud Fahmi is the Managing Director of the Food and Entertainment division at MARAKEZ, the Egyptian arm of Saudi Arabian conglomerate Fawaz Alhokair Group, the largest mall developer in Saudi Arabia.

Owner and operator of Mall of Arabia in west Cairo, MARAKEZ is focused on developing, building and operating multiple malls across Egypt in addition to its real estate development activities. MARAKEZ has a growing portfolio of projects across different sectors as the company is expanding into residential, renewable energy, F&B, entertainment activities and fashion retail.

Mr. Fahmi joined MARAKEZ in November 2015 and is responsible for leading Alhokeir’s new division handling the operations of all new food brands and kids entertainment activities in Egypt.

Mr. Fahmi brings years of experience in running food companies across Egypt and Saudi Arabia to his current position. Before joining MARAKEZ, he was the Business Development Manager for Emaar Misr during its first phases and played a massive role in finalizing the deal of Marrasi project as well as handling the launch and sale of phase one of the project which was sold out in one month.

Prior to that, Mr. Fahmi was the Director of Food and Beverage at Conrad Cairo Hotel bringing an international background to Egypt with his solid experience as Food and Beverage Manager of Dubai Hilton hotel for five years.

Mr. Fahmi holds a Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Management from Pomona California University with a Diploma from Hotelconsult Cezar Ritz in Switzerland.

Maram Moussa

Mall of Arabia Director

Maram Moussa is the Director of Mall of Arabia. The mall is owned and operated by MARAKEZ; the Egyptian arm of Saudi Arabian conglomerate Fawaz Alhokair Group, the largest mall developer in Saudi Arabia.

MARAKEZ is focused on developing, building and operating multiple malls across Egypt in addition to its real estate development activities. MARAKEZ has a growing portfolio of projects across different sectors as the company is expanding into residential, renewable energy, F&B, entertainment activities and fashion retail.

Ms. Maram joined the Group in March 2016. She is responsible for overseeing all aspects of mall management. In her capacity, Ms. Maram will develop a structured business plan for the mall covering all key components of mall operation.

Ms. Maram brings over 25 years of experience in the hospitality and retail malls management. Prior joining the group, Maram was the Commercial Center Manager at Citystars Commercial Centers where she established the customer service department for City Stars serving more than 1,500,000 monthly visitors. She was later promoted to become Commercial Mall Manager.

Maram holds a BA from the University of Alexandria. She is a member of The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), and a certified Customer Relations Manager by the Institute for International Research (IIR) since 2007. She is also a certified Mall Manager from The Global School for Professionals, an affiliate of the International Council of Shopping Centers since 2013.

Tamer Zekry

General Manager of FAS in Egypt

Tamer Zekry is the General Manager of FAS in Egypt, a subsidiary of MARAKEZ, the Egyptian arm of Saudi Arabian conglomerate Fawaz Alhokair Group, the largest mall developer in Saudi Arabia.

MARAKEZ is focused on developing, building and operating multiple malls across Egypt in addition to its real estate development activities. MARAKEZ has a growing portfolio of projects across different sectors as the company is expanding into residential, renewable energy, F&B, entertainment activities and fashion retail.

Mr. Zekry joined MARAKEZ in February 2017 and is responsible for leading and overseeing FAS operations in Egypt aiming to provide renewable energy solutions with a focus on developing alternative energy capacity.

Mr. Zekry brings over 28 years of experience in international construction and consulting divisions of major ‘blue-chip’ residential and industrial projects to his current position. He has extensive experience in project management and engineering field. He participated in the construction of mega industrial projects such power stations, water and waste water treatment plants, residential and office buildings, marine works, major earthworks, industrial development, commercial and residential property worth up to US$ 2billion in Egypt and the Middle East.

Before joining Marakez, Mr. Zekry was Project Director at Power Generation Engineering Services Company (PGESCo) where he led the project team to successfully execute a $2.0 billion super critical thermal power plant in South Helwan. Prior to this, he was Senior Project Manager at SODIC where he managed the execution of the Forty West Project and its related infrastructure. He held several project management positions at ABB-Sadelmi in the United States of America.

Shady Selim

Head of Leasing Team, Marakez

Shady Selim heads the leasing team of MARAKEZ, the Egyptian arm of Saudi Arabian conglomerate Fawaz Alhokair Group, the largest mall developer in Saudi Arabia.

Selim brings with him 12 years of professional experience in the areas of Retail & Commercial Leasing, and appraising new acquisitions. Prior to joining Marakez, he worked with such companies as SODIC as their Retail Development Senior Manager, Cairo Festival City as their Leasing Manager, Jones Lang LaSalle as their Leasing Manager, Amer Group as their Malls leasing Manager in Egypt and Coldwell Banker in Egypt as their Commercial Branch Manager.

Selim received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from Cairo University, as well as an E-Distance learning degree in Shopping Center Management - ICSC program from The John T. Riordan Global Schools for Professional Development, and a Diploma in Real Estate Appraisal and Emaar Retail Program from the American University in Cairo.